BIOLOGY. 281 



development, — showing that germs, as well as adult beings, are 

 not idenLical, either anatomically or physiologically. The one 

 thing certain is, that arrest of development produces anomaly. 

 There are other anomalies in the forms of the blastoderm and 

 vascular area which may be produced with certainty ; so that 

 development may be modified by two kinds of causes, direct and 

 disturbing. This consideration will tend to throw light upon the 

 much discussed and still obscure question of the influence of sur- 

 rounding media on the development of living beings, which may 

 be eflected either by the production of a determined modification, 

 or simply by a tendency to variation whose results depend on 

 original diflferences in the germs. 



Temperatures, also, a little above, as well as below, that of 

 normal incubation, determine the same anomalies in the forming 

 embryo, all by arrest of development. The partial application of 

 an impermeable coating, the vertical position of the Ggg, and any 

 considerable change in the ordinary process of incubation, produce 

 a condition of variation characterized by arrest of development. 



HUMAN LONGEVITY. 



At the 1869 meeting of the British Association, Sir Duncan Gibb 

 read a paper on " An obstacle to European Longevity beyond 70 

 years." He had previously drawn attention to the position of the 

 leaf-shaped cartilage at the back of the tongue, known as the 

 epiglottis, in 5,000 healthy people of all ages, and in 11 per cent, 

 it was found to be drooping or pendent, in place of being vertical. 

 He discovered the fact, that, in all persons above 70, its position 

 was vertical, without a single exception, — a circumstance of the 

 highest importance bearing upon the attainment of old age among 

 Europeans. In a number of instances, where the age varied from 

 70 to 95, in all was this cartilage vertical. Many of these he cited 

 as examples, such as the well-known statesmen. Lord Palmers- 

 ton, Lord Lyndhurst, Lord Campbell, and Lord Brougham. He 

 also gave some among old ladies, still alive, at ages from 75 to 

 92, whose epiglottis was vertical. But the most remarkable was 

 that of a gentleman, still alive, 102 years of age, in whom it oc- 

 cupied the same position. He summed up his views in tlie fol- 

 lowing conclusions: First, as a rule, persons with a pendent epi- 

 glottis do not attain a longevity beyond 70 ; a few may overstep it, 

 but such examples are exceptional. Second, with pendency of the 

 epiglottis, life verges to a close at or about 70, and the limit of 

 old age is reached. Third, a vertical epiglottis, on the other 

 hand, affords the best chance of reaching the extreme limit of 

 longevity. Lastly, pendency of the epiglottis is an obstacle to 

 longevity of 11 per cent, of all ages amongst Europeans. 



He stated that a considerable portion of the Jewish race pos- 

 sesses a physiognomy to which he gave the name of sanguineo- 

 oleaginous expression, characterized by varying degrees of flushed 

 face, sleepy aspect, greasy look, guttural oi husky voice, and ful- 

 ness of body. With this expression is usually associated pen- 



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